Klay Thompson went HAM this week when his Golden State Warriors faced the Sacramento Kings last week: The shooting guard scored 37 points during the third quarter, setting the record for scoring in just one period, along with the record for most 3-pointers during one quarter. The team probably wanted to sing after finishing the game with a 25-point win, but alas the NBA and team executives have requested the team stop posting videos of the team singing its trademark song. Here are five songs that have gotten banned in sports and how they offended (meanwhile you can also check out a shortened video of Thompson's performance here via Sports Illustrated).
"CoCo" by O.T. Genasis
The Golden State Warriors were the hottest team in the NBA to open the season, winning 16-straight games at one point and currently still have a five-game lead at the top of the Western Conference. During the aforementioned streak, the team began a tradition that it would repeat with every victory: Posting videos of the squad singing "CoCo" by O.T. Genasis on the team plane. Unfortunately the team's ownership requested/demanded that they stop, considering that "CoCo" is neither a woman nor a reference to Cocoa Krispies (as Stephen Curry would joke later) but rather to cocaine. The single art features a heart-shaped line of the stuff wrapped around the title. Cuckoo for "CoCo" indeed.
"Rock and Roll Part 2" by Gary Glitter
One of the best parts of producing rock anthems: Every time sports team play them at venues, you get a bit of royalties. It came to the press's attention during 2012 that the NFL had banned Gary Glitter's "Rock and Roll Part 2" (best known for its "Ba-na-na-na...hey!" hook) from being played at the Super Bowl and in fact the song hadn't made an appearance at the big game since 2006. Why not you ask? Glitter wouldn't be charged until 2014, but rumors began around 2012 that he had committed sexual offenses against girls as young as 12. This followed his convictions of possessing child pornography during 1997, which prompted his earlier NFL fall-out. The proceedings hadn't stopped the New England Patriots from playing "Rock and Roll" following touchdowns up to that point however.
"Sweet Caroline" by Neil Diamond
"Sweet Caroline" is one of those songs that will remain in American canon and no, unlike many a blues standard, it doesn't possess any creepy innuendos. Heck, Neil Diamond even appeared at a Red Sox game in the wake of the Boston Marathon bombing to show his support of the team's adoption of his classic tune. So what's up? Those in charge over at Penn State University decided to remove the song, which was previously sung by 100,000 fans at Nittany Lion football games up to that point, from its playlist. This came in light the recent discovery that coach Jerry Sandusky had sexually abused minors, some of whom worked for the team. Penn State denied the lyrics "touching me, touching you" had any cause behind the decision, citing instead that the song didn't make sense at Penn State since so many other teams employed it as well.
"Dixieland Delight" by Alabama
The University of Alabama certainly had good reason to use the track "Dixieland Delight" (by the band Alabama, no less) during its football games. It was ultimately forced to shut down the traditional singing of the song by its home fans however, when certain individuals (AKA the entirety of Bryant-Denny Stadium) began altering the lyrics. The fans, being rather Dylan-esque in their songwriting, grabbed hold of the melody and would chant "Fu*k Auburn," or "Fu*k Florida" or "Fu*k LSU" or whomever the Crimson Tide was playing that week. They're hardly the first team to offend from the audience but it got more headlines than most, due to the university's impressive football culture. No word on whether the track will return next season.
"Atemlos durch die Nacht" by Helene Fischer
European football fans take their sport just as seriously as American football fans take theirs, meaning that superstitions become totally legitimate in that context. A second division team in Germany, Dynamo Dresden, decided to remove "Atemlos dutch die Nacht" ("Breathless Through The Night") by Helene Fischer as its theme song after deeming it to be "bad luck." The team was struggling in its battle to grab a playoff spot when, following a loss at the home of opponent Erzgebirge Aue, the team's rival played the song over its own speakers. Dresden fans didn't take well to the ban however. When the team started playing "Joan" by Roland Kaiser at home games, the crowd would boo in turn.
